Sunday, November 25, 2018

You’ve finally decided to strap on those skates and get out on the track, bumpin’ hips with the best of them, the wind flowing through your helmet. Now if only you had the perfect name to go along with those sick, new bruises. Deciding on a name for derby can be a difficult endeavor, plagued with uncertainty and endless puns. The list of potential names you’ve collected may seem overwhelming, but here are some points to consider to help make that list a tad more manageable.

Photo by Zaftig Unicorn

1. What Makes You Tick?

Every skate name has meaning to it’s owner; be it an inside joke, a play on their own name, paying homage to a favorite tv/video game/book series, hell, even a favorite food. Derby names aren’t just about clever puns and scary sounding names. If something resonates with you in a special way, own it. Don’t be afraid to be you.

2. Fear and Loathing

You wanna be a badass. A rebel. A hard-hitting, teeth-clacking, force to be reckoned with. For many, derby is a chance to live outside of their own personalities and personify that inner warrior on eight wheels. If you want your alias to provoke an emotional response within yourself, and the opposing team, don’t be afraid to dig deep and go for that scary-as-all-hell namesake.

Photo courtesy of Zaftig Unicorn Photography

3. Outdated and Full of Regrets

Some references are topical but quickly dated. Tastes come and go, and once that meme you found hilarious a few months ago is buried in internet history, you’ll regret all those tanks you personalized.

4. Reign in the Raunch

This moniker is not simply a skate name. It isn’t just something announced at games and panted on your jersey. The derby name you choose is a representation of yourself. Think of it as a brand. Your brand can be as scary, weird, or nerdy as you’d like, but you might want think about what leagues will allow you to guest skate with that tongue-in-cheek joke. FCRD is a family friendly league and holds their skaters to the same standards.

5. Explaining the Joke

Some names invoke a polite smile and a head scratch from teammates and fans alike. Though the name means something awesome or clever to you, the majority tilt their head and try a Google search. If you don’t mind answering “What does your derby name mean?” a thousand times at each bout, then go for it, but those less sociable and easily vexed may want to steer clear.

Photo by KC Derby Digest

7. Short but Sweet

Out on the track is a completely different, fast paced, world. Strategies change by the second, skaters blur by, and communication is key. Not a single one of my teammates would ever yell “Parks N Wreck, wall up!” Although “Park, get back here!” is much more likely. Your alias is unique to you but, in a pinch, a long winded string of syllables just won’t work on the track. As you run through your list of potential monikers, try also shortening them and see how that sticks with you. Yes, your fake name will also have a nickname. No, it’s not as confusing as it sounds.

8. Lasting Power

Of course, anyone is welcome to mix it up every few years, but that growing pile of outdated merch you had specially made will haunt you from the back of your closet. Skaters of various skill levels and seniority are bound to want to change their name in the future, but if you think carefully and tactfully, your name could potentially live as long as your derby career.

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

In this last week of new skills, we’re finally getting into the best part! We’ve waited until now because, it is necessary to be comfortable on your skates and skating around other roller derby skaters in order to safely perform blocks. We’ll go over a variety of ways that you can make contact with another skater this week, first covering all of the legal blocking zones.

Legal Blocking Zones

Legal Body Parts Used When Blocking: Any area from the shoulders down to above the knees, with the exception of the area of the arm from the elbow to the fingertips.Legal Body Parts to Administer Blocks Against: Any area from the shoulders down to above the knees, with the exception of the spine.

Blocks

Shoulder Block

This is the first tested block that we learn and is a review from last week. To administer the block:

Skate side by side with the target, no more than one step away.

Shift your weight from A-frame to centered over the leg closest to the target.

Move your ribcage towards the target (as opposed to “tipping” over)

Make contact with the target’s shoulder using your shoulder

Generally speaking, this is the most ineffective block on the track. You will affect another skater more using your hips or the side of your body.

Tri-Block

The triceps are legal to use against another skater. We practice the tri-block from slightly behind and to the side of the intended target. Lift your arm parallel to the floor, keeping your forearm and hand out of the way (might touch your opposite shoulder with your hand). Then hit your partner’s shoulder with your tricep. Ideally, you will want to use a body motion (similar to what was discussed for the shoulder block) to strengthen the block and “shove” your partner to the side. Note that your elbow might move in the direction towards your partner, but you should never break a 90 degree angle with your arm (thus making contact with your elbow which is illegal). It is best to keep your arm perpendicular to your partner’s side to avoid this situation. If we practice control in our blocking, it will be easier to keep it legal in the less-controlled environment of game play.

Booty Blocking

Booty blocking is also known as positional blocking. The person booty blocking is in front of the person being blocked and attempts to keep them behind by moving side to side. Some tips for success:

Keep watch over one shoulder. If the partner goes out of sight, you will still know that your partner has moved towards the other shoulder. Flipping your head back and forth is a quick way to get faked.

Stay low, but do not bend over (keep your chest up).

Feet should be a bit wider than shoulder width, but not too wide that you lose agility with your feet.

Use snow plow motions to keep the pace slow. If you are even able to make contact with your partner, this is ideal. Contact means you not only know visually where they are, but you can feel where they might be going.

The quickest way to close off space is by leading with the booty.

The person being blocked should practice never touching with his/her hands. Instead make contact with legal parts (chest, pelvic area, thighs, etc.)

Hip Check

Hip checks are an effective way to impact an opponent’s trajectory and/or knock them down by hitting at the center of gravity. There are a number of ways to approach a skater in order to block them. In practice for a hip check, we often use a cutting motion around the skater and hit the front hip pocket with our hip at the end of the cut. We begin by practicing cutting cones again. Remember to get low in the cut, hovering over the cone with your rear as if you were attempting to sit on the cone. Also don’t forget to line your feet up with the foot closest to the cone in front. Keep your chest up, butt down! Once we move back to partners, use the same cutting motion to cut around your partner, leading with the hip to hit his/her front pocket. Other notes:

Hitting to the front pocket ensures that you have control of the opposing skater’s forward momentum.

If you can work in a bit of a swing in the hip, you will have a more effective block.

Try to keep your arm out of the way of the point of contact.

If you miss the block and end up in front of the opposing skater, this is also a success on the track because it can be turned into a booty block, even if it is not the skill we are working on.

J-Block / Hockey Block

In a J-Block we are hitting from the side or maybe slightly in front, but the main goal/difference from other blocks is the fact that we are hitting on the way up. In doing so, you are lifting them upwards and messing up their stability. To perform the block:

Start from a half of a step away from your partner

Lean slightly away from your partner

Drop low into a squat (butt down, chest up)

Come back up towards your partner, leading with the hip

Make contact on the way up.

Note that the drop and rise should make a J motion, giving the block its name. It is very important to hit on the way up on this block. Dropping, coming up, and following it with a straight shoulder block is not a J-block. Ideally, you are making contact with the full side of your body. It may also come in the form of a hip followed by a shoulder. Either is correct. The most important element is hitting upwards.

Shoulder Blade Block

Fountain City lovingly calls this block the “douche” block because it is reminiscent of a douchey person walking into someone on purpose. The block is a shoulder “slap” on the opposing skater’s shoulder blade (if he/she is about the same height). For height differences, it may be against a different place on the back, but remember which areas are illegal to hit against (i.e., spine and head). The skater performing the block is starting from behind. To perform the block:

While behind your partner, line up his/her shoulder with about your collarbone.

A truly effective douche block is one that aims for the other side of the skater, not just the skater’s shoulder blade.

Do not follow through with your arm, making unintentional contact with the forearm/hand.

Motion can be downward for a taller skater working on a shorter skater (and is also effective for knocking a skater on his/her face!)

This block is not legal for an active jammer.

Pelvic Block

In a pelvic block, we are utilizing the legal blocking zones of the pelvic area (blocking with) and the buttocks (blocking against) to push an opposing skater forward. These are most used when attempting to break up a blocking wall from behind. To perform the skill:

Make sure that you are in derby stance, and come close behind your partner.

In a rocking motion, swing your hips forward to make contact.

Some notes to consider:

Do not stand straight up while attempting this skill. This goes for both the blocker and the person being blocked!

To receive the block, make sure that your chest is up. If you are leaning over, you are heading towards a face plant!

Using your upper thighs is also acceptable, and sometimes it will be necessary for height differences.

Blocking against one cheek as opposed to dead center is also acceptable.

Drag Block

A drag block is a method of moving a skater out of the way when starting from behind that skater. This is not a strike as in the other blocks we’ve covered so far. It is a sneak in and drag off. The positioning can be tricky, so we practice this first from a stand still:

The person being blocked against should be in derby stance

While standing behind your partner, put one foot in between their feet. If the skater is shorter or has their feet together, you may also straddle.

Bring your arm to the side and in front of your partner either by snaking around them or windmilling your arm over the top.

Drop LOW so that you can put your armpit into your partner’s hip or side and get your head in front of them. Note that you will be leaning forward more than you typically would be in good derby stance, but it is also essential that you drop your butt as well. Keeping your legs bent and butt low will encourage stability.

Keep your forearm and hand away from your partner. A good way to do this is by touching your hand to your opposite shoulder.

To perform the block:

Get into the position discussed while rolling. Having your head in front is an important element for keeping control of the other skater’s front side.

Move the foot that is away from your partner further in front and push on the inside edge. This will steer both of you in the opposite direction.

Drag blocks are most often used to move a skater from inside to outside the track, but testing either side is acceptable.
Some safety points on this one:

To get out of the block, you will need to snake out in a similar way that you go into the block.

DO NOT STAND UP IN THIS BLOCK. Because of the positioning, standing up would send the person being blocked against over your leg and onto his/her back or head.

Avoid pushing upwards with your arm for the same reason.

Drag Block Deflection

This transition skill is not easy and is only tested for Class 2 skaters. Once a skater has you in a drag block, this is a method of getting out of it. Simply put, it is a transition to backwards skating followed by a transition to forwards skating. Here is the full breakdown:

Once a skater makes contact with the drag block, pick up the foot furthest from the blocking skater and set it down in the mohawk. You will be turning your back towards the blocking skater.

Follow this by completing the transition with the other foot.

This transition removes us from the drag. Ideally, the blocking skater’s momentum will continue in the drag direction.

Transition again over the same shoulder to complete the 360 turn.

If the blocking skater has continued his/her trajectory, you can now skate up the track on their opposite side.

Some skaters find that they have more stability doing the second transition by pivoting on their toestops instead. This is not wrong, but we don’t often recommend this for brand new skaters who are still getting used to their toestops and transitions.

Pivot Block

This transition skill is not easy and is only tested for Class 2 skaters. It is used as a method of getting around a skater. Simply put, it is a transition, douche block, and another transition. Here is the full breakdown:

Approach the opposing skater from behind, lining up their shoulder with approximately your collar bone. You should be traveling just slightly faster than your partner.

Once you are close behind, pick up the foot closest to your partner and set it down in the mohawk.

The rest of the transition happens just after you have passed his/her shoulder.

With the same slapping motion of the douche block, hit the front of your partner’s shoulder with your own.

Transition again in the same direction (you will be making a complete 360 turn) to skate away from your partner.

Some notes to consider:

For the maximum stability and control of your partner, keep constant contact, rolling against him/her while transitioning around.

This is where it is extremely necessary to pick up your feet to complete the transitions. Dragging them in a circle is a good way of running into your partner or not being stable.

Pivot blocks are typically done on the inside (else you are potentially traveling more than 360 degrees), but testing on either side is acceptable.

Conclusion

When practicing your blocks, remember that you should try to remain in control of yourself at all times (engage that core and concentrate on your form. Also remember for testing purposes that effectiveness is important. All of us signed on for roller derby, which involves hitting other people on skates. You must be able to prove that you can affect the other skater’s trajectory.
This blocking lesson completes all of the skills that are tested in minimum skills testing! Congratulations on making it this far! If you have any questions or concerns about any of these skills, please be sure to ask one of our trainers. Good luck on testing!

Friday, October 19, 2018

Should a skater be injured during play, they should signal to the refs
using a thumb up or thumb down. If signaling with a thumb up, they should pull
themselves off the track, at which time, one of their teammates may line up for
substitution. The replacement player may only enter when signaled by the
nearest Outside Ref and from the rear of the Pack. When the injured skater signals
a thumb down for a significant injury, or the downed skater is unresponsive,
the nearest ref will signal the Injury Alert to end the jam with four short
whistle blows. Injured player(s), who stop the jam, will not be allowed to
return to play until the next period, or cleared by an EMT, whichever is
sooner.

​

Cutting Track:

Cutting track is considered the act of skating out of bounds in order to
reduce the distance one must travel around the track; or the act of skating out
of bounds in order to advance position. Skaters are not allowed to cut track,
but may advance position by jumping the turn as long as they begin and end
their jump while in bounds. Lifting a skate to avoid being out of bounds is
permitted.

Exemption
for Active Jammers on Scoring Pass Only:

Active
Jammers are exempt from cutting track in the Blocking Zone. Should an Active
Jammer cut the track for any reason, they can either: pull up, let that
Blocker(s) pass, re-enter the track and re-pass those players to be awarded
points; or they may continue on, but without any points for the opposing
players they passed while out of bounds. Active Jammers who continue on, and
enter the Pack, having passed no opposing players in bounds, will not be
allowed to signal the end of the Jam until they score a point on that pass.

﻿

Out of Play Rule

Any skater (excluding Active Jammers or Jammers making their first pass
through the pack to become active) who are more than 20' away from the pack,
out of bounds, or in the situation of a no-pack, are considered "Out of
Play." Any skater who is on the ground (any body part other than skates
touching the ground) is considered Out of Play. Out of Play skaters must yield
to Active Jammers or be issued a penalty.

Blocking
zone: Opposing players may engage each other in the Pack
and within 20' in either direction (ahead of or behind) the Pack. Any player
outside of this zone is not considered in play (except Active Jammers), and
therefore not part of the Pack. Active Jammers are considered part of the pack
anytime they are within 20' of other players. Out of play skaters can neither
assist nor block.

Once
an Active Jammer has exited the Blocking Zone, opposing players, with the
exception of the opposing Active Jammer, may not engage them, or hinder their
progress, until they are once again within 20' of the Pack. Blockers who chase
the Active Jammer past the Blocking Zone will be issued an Out of Play penalty.

If there is "No Pack" as signaled by the Pack or Head Ref, you
have dead play. During dead play, skaters, cannot engage nor assist. Active
Jammers may still engage other skaters, but not assist during dead play. During
Dead Play or an evenly "Split Pack" players must actively reform the
Pack within the parameters indicated by the Pack or Head Ref, generally the
centermost mass, and are to resume normal play when signaled to "Resume
Play" by the Pack or Head Ref. Failure to reform the pack will result
in an Out of Play penalty for all skaters involved. In a No Pack situation, a
Pivot may still break.

Paceline Weaving

Weaving through the paceline starts with the rearmost person in the line. The skater will approach one side of the next forward skater and cut in front of them, skate forwards on the opposite side of the next skater and cut in front of them. Progress continues back and forth through the entire line. Things to keep in mind while weaving:

Remember your edges, and cut hard to cross the paceline quickly

Keep knees soft to keep your balance

Once you have passed the line, turn your feet back straight so as not to drift away from the line

Once you have reached the front of the line, you will likely need to slow down (t-stop or snowplow) slightly to match the line’s pace again

While in the paceline, do not slow down to let someone by. It is the weaving skater’s responsibility to cut through the space, and slowing down with mess up the pace of the rest of the line.

Paceline Hip Assists

In a similar weaving pattern as the above drill, we practice our hip assists in the paceline. This is the same skill we practiced last week with a partner:

Approach directly behind

Grab at the hips

Pull inwards and then to the side

Remember: you are taking the other skater’s momentum from him/her, so he/she should slow down from your performing this skill. Avoid pulling downwards (and thus pulling the skater down). For skaters in the paceline: be ready in a good derby stance. The hip assisting skater should be slowing you down, so once they pass, pick up your feet to quickstep back to the original pace quickly.

Paceline Hopping

Again, in the same weaving pattern, we hop through the space between skaters in the paceline. Remember the elements of hopping that we learned in Week 3:

By hopping, we mean leaving one foot and landing on the other.

In order for it to be considered hopping and not stepping, there should be air space under both feet at one moment of time.

Be sure to take off of a bent knee and land on a bent knee.

Once the hop is complete, you may set down both feet to reset yourself before the next hop.

Pack Skills

Leaning

Roller derby skaters engage other skaters on the track all of the time. To increase our ability to skate around other skaters and begin making contact, we practice “leaning” while skating with a partner:

Hold the arm closest to your partner across the front of your body, exposing the side of your body.

Center your balance over the leg closest to your partner.

Make contact with your partner all of the way from the shoulder to the hip

Paddle the foot furthest from your partner to keep momentum going.

Remember that both skaters must be in derby stance!

Shoulder Block

This is the first tested block that we learn. To administer the block:

Skate side by side with the target, no more than one step away.

Shift your weight from A-frame to centered over the leg closest to the target.

Move your ribcage towards the target (as opposed to “tipping over”)

Make contact with the target’s shoulder with your shoulder

Generally speaking, this is the most ineffective block on the track. You will affect another skater more using your hips or the side of your body. We will get into more blocks next week.

Wheel Bumping

Purposefully bumping wheels on the track is not legal, but it can happen. To test a skaters stability, we test reaction to wheel bumping. With a partner, gently “kick” the other’s wheels. Remember that you must be in derby stance for the greatest stability. You may also need to think about engaging your core.

Booty Blocking

Booty blocking is also known as positional blocking. The person booty blocking is in front of the person being blocked and attempts to keep them behind by moving side to side. Some tips for success:

Keep watch over one shoulder. If the partner goes out of sight, you will still know that your partner has moved towards the other shoulder. Flipping your head back and forth is a quick way to get faked.

Stay low, but do not bend over (keep your chest up).

Feet should be a bit wider than shoulder width, but not too wide that you lose agility with your feet.

Use snow plow motions to keep the pace slow. If you are able to make contact with your partner, this is ideal. Contact means you not only know visually where they are, but you can feel where they might be going.

The quickest way to close off space is by leading with the booty.

Skating as a Pack

Skating in a pack is a bit different than regular skating. You will need to modify your stride and crossovers to minimize foot motion so as not to trip those around you. Often you will be utilizing watermelons, leaving all eight wheels on the floor. You should be able to touch at least two people at any given time. The pack will often speed up and slow down, and just as in the paceline practice, you should be utilizing derby stops and quick feet to match the pace changes. It is extremely important to remain in derby stance in order to deal with any falling skaters.

Unexpected Obstacles

Roller derby skaters find unexpected obstacles (fallen skaters) on the track all of the time. The most advantageous reaction is to avoid the obstacle and continue skating. Methods of avoidance include: cutting, jumping, hopping, quick stepping, transitioning, etc. We practice and test a skater’s ability to deal with unexpected obstacles by skating in a pack and having skaters from the front of the pack fall small. The skater should avoid the obstacle and return to the pack as quickly as possible. Remember to stay in derby stance to ensure stability.

Conclusion

It’s very important to learn how to safely skate around other skaters prior to really getting into the best part of roller derby next week: BLOCKING!

Friday, October 12, 2018

Penalties are to be served as they are called by the Officials, and only
while jam clock is running. Offending skaters go directly to the penalty box in
the center of the track to serve their time. Penalties begin to be served when,
and only when, the skater is seated in the box. The skater must return to the
track from in front of the penalty box only. Skaters must enter at the rear of
the Pack and yield to passing referees. The "Rear of the Pack" is
from the last person in the Pack extending to the end of the rear Blocking
Zone. Only two skaters from each team may be in the box at once. Should a third
(or more) player from a team commit a penalty, they will continue play until a
seat frees up in the box.

Should the Jammer’s penalty time carry over to the next jam, the
offending team starts with a substitute Jammer, but skates short, until the
penalized Jammer finishes serving their time and returns to play as a
Blocker.

Should a team have more than five players on the track at the start of
the Jam, fail to line up Pivot or Jammer, or more than one player wearing a
Jammer or Pivot helmet cover, they will be issued a Team Penalty. At instant of
team infraction, the Head Ref will signal the end of the Jam and the team must
choose one player from the track to immediately serve the penalty. The teams
will then line back up and the Head Ref will restart the jam.

Penalties will be signaled by any ref using two short whistle blasts.
Penalties may be awarded between jams. Warnings may be issued at the ref's
discretion.

1 minute penalties

False start

Cutting Track

Out of Play

Illegal Contact or Maneuver

Insubordination: Failure to comply, return to the bench,orunauthorized
contact with officials (must be a Captain, Manager or Coach)

2 minute penalties

Excessive Force

Team Penalty

Automatic Ejection
Abusive language or behavior to opponents, officials or audience. Exceeding 5
minutes of accrued penalties. Should a player commit a sixth penalty and
be ejected from the game, the respective team must choose a substitute player
to sit their final penalty.

Thursday, October 11, 2018

You are about to become an athlete. Wait! Don’t freak out and run away. It is okay, it won’t happen overnight. And we will help you.

You will not be expected to bench press 250lbs and run a 4 minute mile on the first day. Probably not the last day either. But you are starting a journey that will change you. For some of you, this training may not be too strenuous at first. Perhaps you already work out on a regular basis. For some, this will be a whole new world of physical effort, not to mention a test of willpower.

Photo By KC Derby Digest

While being athletic will help you during this training, willpower and determination are what makes you a roller derby skater. As Rocky said, “It ain’t how many times you get knocked down, it’s how many times you get back up.” And you are going to fall a lot, because falling means you are pushing yourself beyond your comfort zone and improving your skill. It also means that you are exposing your body to soreness and possibly getting hurt or injured.

Being sore after a workout is normal, it means you are pushing yourself a little further than you are used to. Your muscles respond to vigorous use by secreting Lactic acid during a workout. Lactic acid is what makes your muscles feel like they are burning while you are skating. Upping your exercise is what causes “micro tears” (these are considered a good thing in building muscle and are not to be confused with a large scale tissue tear which is an injury) in your muscles which, in turn, is what causes soreness after working out. One of the reasons you need to drink a lot of water and sometimes replenish electrolytes after skating is to help wash away the Lactic acid your muscles have expelled and help the muscle healing/inflammation process that occurs in the next 24-48 hours.Once training starts, even if you already have a consistent workout regime, you will find that there are some derby specific drills that make your muscles sore – especially the muscles you didn’t even know you had! You might be tempted to skip Wednesday practices if Tuesday practice made you sore. We encourage you not to do this! First, you only get 2 chances to attend practice a week and skipping Wednesday practice takes away half of your opportunity to improve your skills. And second, you can work through the soreness by exercising the second day. The body is an amazingly adaptive structure that acclimates quickly to your new fitness level. Soon you will find that the muscle soreness and congestion is less and less after every work out, and you look forward to the second consecutive day of practice.However, it is important to recognize the difference between normal soreness and a potential problem. You will no doubt wrestle with some issue or another connected with beginning a new exercise regime. The key is recognizing when you should push through and when you should stop, and you are the only judge on that. If something is sore, try to push through, but if you feel a sudden or sharp pain, or something that does not go away with rest, get yourself checked out.The next level above soreness is being hurt. Hurt is generally short lived but intense. Hurt is different than sore because it is not a natural part of working out. Hurt means something has gone wrong temporarily, but you can probably treat it yourself. It hurts when you fall on your knees and the knee pad has slipped so instead of landing on padding you land on hard track, or perhaps you unintentionally land on your own skate. It doesn’t feel good and it causes you to stop and take a minute to recover but it generally won’t put you out of skating for the rest of the practice, or if it does, you will feel better pretty quickly and be back at practices soon.Injured is different situation. Injured means something has gone wrong and generally has long term ramifications. Injured is a concussion, broken bone, torn ligament or the like. Injured puts you out of practice for more than a few days. You probably don’t need to be told that if you think you are injured you need to seek qualified medical help.There is a fine line between hurt and injured and sometimes hurt starts out feeling like injured and vise-versa. The key is to listen to your body and know yourself. If you feel like something is wrong, it probably is and it is in your best interest to get it checked out. Better to be safe and catch a problem early when it can be handled on a small scale than to ignore the problem and have it turn into something that keeps you off skates for an extended time.Be safe on the track! Make sure to give yourself a break when you sense that something doesn’t feel right. Don’t hesitate to let your coach or trainer know what is going on and ask for assistance if need be.

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Ask a vet how to get through the endurance portion of skills testing and the advice you receive will differ depending on the person. Like derby, there is no one-size-fits-all way to get through the 20 lap endurance test. Below, you will find some basic tips from experienced vets ranging from technical to mental to cross-training. Consider it all, try it all, then use what works for you.

Technical Tips: Try these first! These tips are meant to help lay the foundation of good form and speed. They will help reduce the risk of injury, give you more speed with less effort, and build confidence in your stride.

Get low and use long, full strides – long, full strides may sound counter-intuitive but it’s not. The lower you go, the deeper you push into your strides, the more power you will get. Short, choppy strides may keep you moving forward but it will be at a slower, more labor intensive pace. Watch skaters like Tenacious V or Jam Pa. Their strides are deliberate, slow and smooth, more like a glide than a step.

Move your feet – When you stop moving your feet, you lose momentum. When you start moving your feet again, you have to work to gain back that momentum. Focus on crossing over in the turns and keeping your feet moving. Combine this with tip #1.

Skate the Diamond – hit the apex and outside the straights. Just as important, pick a smooth line between those points.

from RollerDerbyAthletics.com

Swing your arms to help gain momentum

Clean your wheels. The less dirt and grime on your wheels, the more productive they are for you. You’re less likely to slip and slide into the turns. And, when you feel stable on your feet you feel more confident in your cross-overs.

BREATHE! In through the nose, out through the mouth.

Cross-training: Most athletes will tell you, cross-training is an important component. You can work and strengthen muscles you don’t normally use in your sport of choice, you can build up speed and endurance, strengthen your core and your quads; the benefits go on and on.

Some of the league’s best players swear by stair sprints and running. To start, try running at a moderate pace for 2 minutes, then sprint for 30 seconds. Repeat for 15 minutes, then 20 minutes, and so on.

Take a class a couple times a week: Yoga, High-intensity interval training, cardio. It all helps to up your game and give you an edge.

Plyometrics or Jump training: You can do this at home 5-10 minutes a day. Burpees, Jump Squats, Skater Jumps the list goes on. These exercises are designed to build strength and endurance by using explosive bursts of energy in short amounts of time.

Mental Tricks: Derby is 90% mental. The can-do attitude will most likely give you the edge you’ve been looking for. The 20-lap endurance test is daunting. It pushes your mind and body to go when all you want to do is stop. If you let it, endurance will show you exactly what you are made of and how much farther you can go than you actually thought. To get out of your head and into the zone, try some of these tricks….

Get a rhythm going. Count your strides or your breaths. How many does it take to make 1 lap? Keep that pace! Don’t focus on sprinting, focus on pace.

Break those laps down into chunks. Don’t count 20, count 5, then 5 more, and so on.

Hit open skates with a four minute song. Challenge yourself to 20 laps before the song ends.

Find a solid skater and keep pace with her (or him).

Be the Little Engine that Could – i think i can, i think i can….

Be positive, expect only your best from yourself! Don’t get angry or upset if the first time doesn’t pan out. Derby is about progress. Just keep going, keep moving and eventually you will get there!

The endurance test doesn’t have to be scary! Set your goals, come prepared, and celebrate finishing 20 laps!